Saudi Arabia: Woman who posted video of husband cheating with housemaid facing jail

A woman in Saudi Arabia could face up to one year in jail for posting a video clip that allegedly shows her husband cheating with their housemaid. The Middle Eastern country has strict defamation laws that prohibit the use of video recordings to defame others.

The video, recorded on a mobile phone and posted on social media, caught the husband flirting with the housemaid in the kitchen. The husband is seen talking, hugging and kissing the woman, in the clip.

According to Emirates 24/7, after sharing the video clip on social media, the angry wife wrote: "The minimum punishment for this husband is to scandalise him." Sada newspaper also reported that support for the wife was growing after viewers had watched the video.

"I salute you warmly for your valiant courage," Al Yamama, a blogger, was quoted as saying by Gulf News. "You did the best thing because there was an urgent need for revenge and your revenge is the best."

While many have supported the woman for recording and posting the video clip, Majid Qaroob, a lawyer based in Saudi Arabia, said under the country's defamation laws, the woman could face a jail term of a year or a fine of SAR 500,000 (£87,630). "This law on information technology crimes includes stiff punishment for anyone using mobile phones with a camera or other equipment to photograph others and defame them," he was quoted as saying by The Independent.

The video clip got over 25,000 mentions on Twitter in less than 12 hours, The Mirror reported. However, it has been removed from the social media site. Many people working as maids in Saudi Arabia are migrant workers from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.